Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence in an Urban Context

There are many shortcomings when it comes to the education of students in the United States. Perhaps it’s the way a teacher is teaching their students,  or it can be because of the child’s background with family and parenting. However I think the roots of all the different problems when it comes to education is, money. As the years progress, I feel as if there have been many budget cuts in many different areas of life. One of them being education. Teachers are getting laid off left and right. It is as if the government has no care for the future of this world. The government spends a massive amount of money on bailing out different companies that are getting bankrupt when their attention should be towards the number of students in the education system. I think that how a student is raised and progress in school is how they will grow into in the future. Nowadays many schools have laid off the teachers that specialize in the subjects that students may have an interest for, such as arts and craft, music, and many others. How are children able to discover their field of interest when these classes aren’t even offered to them?
Another issue that arises from this problem is the question of class size. Having lesser students in a class means more classrooms, which means that they would have to hire more teachers. Children that are coming from a background where their parents are able to afford living in a well-off area have the upper hand when it comes to education. From this small number of students in a classroom, the teacher is able to communicate personally with each individual child. By this the teacher is able to figure out the weaknesses and the strengths of the student which may help the student to develop certain skills needed for the many upcoming tests that the students might be taking. Many people face difficulties when it comes to money and many cannot afford to send their children into schools where they have a small number of students and one teacher. Having this advantage means that these parents can find a tutor or help for their student in whatever subject they may be having trouble with. However, what if you don’t have this kind of money? I feel as if many students will indeed become discouraged with education and will just give up learning.
According to the textbook, in many cultures, no matter where you are from, parents provide their children with special toys, games and activities designed to promote learning mathematics, reading and writing. I agree very much with this statement as I look back to my earlier days. I don’t know how I would have learned to read faster if it weren’t for the different story book games that my parents have bought me. The textbook also states that in all cultures, children from middle-class families were more likely than their working-class counterparts to engage with their parents in academically oriented play and academically oriented lessons such as counting, spelling, and learning shapes and colors. Parents definitely play a big role in helping their children get the right education needed for them. The textbook states the “bottom-up” processing which is an approach to education that starts with teaching basic skills and once they have been master moves on to more complex tasks. In order for a child to master these skills, they need the help of the parents to be next to them and to help them to understand their homework or the class work that the student didn’t understand during the class.

Another shortcoming of the educational system in the U.S is the problem of learning disabilities that some children develop at birth. This problem definitely prevents students from achieving the full potential of learning and is a huge barrier.  With these many shortcomings also comes some solutions for a change in this system. As explained earlier I feel like the government should pay more attention to these children. These children are the future of our world. The government should stop making budget cuts and start providing more funding to the school systems to improve the learning environment of every student. The education system holds the future of these students in the palm of their hands. Not only should the government pay more attention to these children but also the parents of these young children. Parents are what these children look up to and what they see in front of them. They will learn from their parents and also project the same actions.